Give and Take
by Ivori
Summary: After the tragic death of his parents, Alfred is left in the care of a man he has never met before: Arthur Kirkland. As they learn to live with each other peacefully, Alfred also tries to uncover more on how his parents died. AU UKUS. Rating may change.
1. Tragedy

**Author's Note: Heya~ This is an AU UKUS fic... I'm planning on making it kinda long so I'm gonna take my time writing it ;3. Anyways, the T rating may or may not change as the story goes on... Just putting that out there. Oh, btw, please don't kill me over the Jackie character, I'm not planning on any of the supporting characters making any real difference on the plot ^^". I wasn't quite sure what genres this specifically fit into so I just tried my best ^_^" (Drama's such a broad category, ya know?). I'm a little worried that it's a tad confusing so if you need anything cleared up, please tell me and I'd be glad to clear that up (as well as fix the actual story). I did a pre-edit on this but I was too lazy to go through it again so if you notice any mistakes please point them out and I'd be happy to fix it! As always R&R. I'm serious. Do it. XD**

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><p>Alfred yawned and leaned against his locker. It was 7:30am and he was just too tired to pay attention. The hallways were loud with chatter and he could faintly hear the screams of a girl who'd just gotten a latte spilled on her.<p>

"Hey Al! Did you do the homework for psychology?" a student ran up to the blond haired boy, looking desperate.

Alfred laughed. "You actually think I do homework?" he chuckled, grinning playfully.

"Goddammit, I NEED that homework!" the boy ran off in a panic. The chime of the warning bell rang out through the school and Alfred sauntered to class.

He entered the room and sat down, he felt relaxed and peaceful. It was just going to be a normal day.

"Hey Alfred," a cute girl with strawberry blonde hair and green eyes smiled at him sweetly, sitting next to him. "How's it going?"

"I'm great, Jackie!" Alfred gave his girlfriend a winning smile.

"Oh my gosh! I have to tell you what Laney did to Josh, oh God it's so funny!" she put her hands out in front of her and waved them dramatically, her eyes alight with the feeling of gossip.

Alfred didn't give a damn what Laney did to Josh. He hardly knew either of them so he didn't listen particularly hard to the conversation.

"But isn't that just awful?" Jackie stared at him with wide eyes.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," Alfred smiled at her and took her hand in his. He saw that she blushed a bit at the interaction and he smiled. They had been going out for nearly two months now but she still managed to blush every time he touched her.

"Say, how about we-" he was cut off as a note was slipped onto his desk from the teacher.

"Go now," the teacher had a bored look on his face, like always.

Alfred blinked at the teacher and got up. "Okay," he said with confusion, he brought his girlfriend's hand up to his face and lightly kissed it like a gentleman would and then left.

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><p>"Alfred," the principal sat across from the boy, his head resting in his clasped hands, worry stricken across his face. Alfred beamed at him, oblivious of the look of dread on the old man's wrinkled face.<p>

The old man sighed, deciding that he had to tell him sooner or later. "Alfred, your parents are dead," said the man earnestly, his eyes dead serious.

Alfred smiled at the principal. "Yeah right, sure," he laughed, "so what is this really about?" he grinned.

"I'm not joking, Alfred. Your father and your mother were both killed only a little while ago. You know as well as anyone the risks of your father's particular social standing. Alfred, I'm truly, very sorry for your loss," the principal looked solemnly away.

_What the fuck is this? _Alfred stared at the man in bewilderment. "What the hell are you talking about?" he shouted, standing up and slamming his hands on the desk. The principal jumped in fright. "They can't just up and die!" he glared vehemently down at the man. "This is just some fucking sick joke," he crossed his arms over his chest, his teeth clenched tightly.

"Alfred! I know you're upset but there is no need for that kind of language in a school!" scolded the principal.

"I can say whatever the hell I want!" snapped Alfred.

"Alfred…"

"You know, just go and fuck yourself, stay out of my damn business!" without another word, Alfred stormed out of the room.

Alfred ran to his house, he'd completely forgotten about anything prior to what the principal had said. His legs were moving faster than they ever had. _It can't be true! _Thoughts rang out in his head, jumbled and confused.

Alfred could see his house, he was panting due to running so fast. He immediately knew something was wrong with the amount of police cars at his house. _SHIT! _He sprinted up to the house, his eyes wide in fear. His heart beat fast in his chest. He was just about to burst through the door when someone grabbed him by the shoulders.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Alfred whipped around and saw a police officer; it was the sheriff. "Let go of me!" cried Alfred, hot tears were stinging his eyes.

"Calm down son," said the police officer.

"Where are they? Where are they?" demanded Alfred, the tears now overflowing, he shook in fright.

"They're gone, son, they've been sent to the morgue," responded the man, looking sadly down at Alfred.

"W-what happened to them?" Alfred was hysterical; he saw spots in his eyes and had to sit down. His world was spinning. He had been numb before. He couldn't feel anything when the principal was talking to him, but now it all seemed so real.

"It appears that a gunner came to your house and shot them both down," explained the man sympathetically.

"Did you catch him?" Alfred's eyes were alight with a strange emotion, he felt lightheaded.

"Catch who?" the police officer looked confused.

"The shooter. Did you catch him?" Alfred looked at the man with an expression of complete seriousness.

"Unfortunately, no, we didn't," the police officer sighed. Alfred's eyes widened and he stood up, staring at the man in shock.

"You HAVE to catch him! What the hell are you doing just sitting around here! Go out and find this man! Bring him to justice!" he shouted, his hands clenched in fists.

"It's not that simple, we have no leads at this point!" sighed the police officer.

Alfred stared at the man, unable to comprehend what he was saying. _What? Does he mean that my parents' deaths can't be avenged? _he gritted his teeth.

"Ah yes," the officer put a hand on Alfred's shoulder in sympathy. "You'll need to go to the bank to discuss your parents' wills," he said solemnly.

"Oh, I see," mumbled Alfred, the full severity of the situation slowly sinking into his subconscious.

"You best go now, son, there's nothing that can be done here," explained the police officer.

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><p>Alfred walked into the bank, a grim look on his face. "Hello?" he opened the door to the office. The man sitting on the other side of the desk smiled at him. He was young, probably in his mid twenties. Of course, to Alfred that was positively old. The man had calculating, ice blue eyes with no warmth in them.<p>

"Please sit down, Mr. Jones," said the man, gesturing towards a stiff-looking wooden chair. Alfred took a seat begrudgingly and leaned against the back of his chair, eyeing the man but saying nothing.

"So, about the contents of your parents' will, your parents left everything to you. However, seeing as you're still a minor, some of these properties cannot be claimed," the man had an unsympathetic look on his face.

Alfred's gaze shot up when he heard those words. "What the hell are you saying! If they're in my parents' will they belong to me!" he shouted.

"That isn't the only thing, Mr. Jones," the man gave Alfred a look that told him to sit down. "Your father's business was failing. You were left the business in his will and therefore you receive the debt that it has accumulated. Mr. Jones this is a large amount that can't be easily repaid. The bank is willing to make a deal. Considering that you are a minor, it only seems fair, that in order to alleviate the large amount of debt that your father has left you with, you relinquish your rights to your owning of some of the properties previously stated in his will and the bank will compensate," the man's eyes glinted.

Alfred wasn't sure what was going on. This man was kind of sketchy looking and he didn't trust him.

"A-and if I don't?" he stammered, his eyes wary and afraid.

"Then you gain properties that you can't possibly manage by yourself, and a $100,000 debt to boot," the man smoothed back his gelled black hair and gave Alfred a daring glare.

_A $100,000 debt? Dad, what were you thinking? _Alfred lowered his gaze. "What would I be giving up?" he whispered.

"Anything and everything in this will," the man held up a piece of paper and smiled.

"I won't have a place to live! Where will I go? I have no other family," Alfred looked frantic.

"Ah, about that, there is someone that your mother stated in her will, a man, named Arthur Kirkland? Have you ever heard of him?" asked the man, reading off of the paper to get the name right.

"No, I've never heard of him," mumbled Alfred.

"Well, your mother named him as your guardian should this tragedy happen to her. We have made contact with him and he should be here in about a day," the man stood up and took a packet off of a shelf.

"Now, back to business, once you sign this document it gives the bank all ownership of your possessions," the man handed Alfred a pen and smiled. It was a haunting smile, deceiving almost. Alfred took the pen in his hand; he was shaking. So many thoughts went through his mind. _I either inherit nothing or I inherit a debt? Is this serious? _he stared down at the foreboding line that marked where he would sign. He sighed and a tear escaped, rolling down his cheeks. He pushed the pen down to the paper and signed it, glaring up at the man as he did so.

"You must be pretty proud of yourself," his josh seemed half-hearted.

"I am, in fact," the man snatched the paper. "You may go now," he added, looking over the pages.

Alfred stood shakily up, his eyes glazed over and hazy. "Oh, and Mr. Jones?" the man turned around and looked up at him, cold and icy.

"What?" Alfred wanted to punch this man in the face.

"Here is a way to contact Mr. Kirkland," the man handed him a business card with a phone number on it. Alfred glanced down at it before mumbling a thanks and leaving. It was all happening too quickly. He hadn't even had the time to fully pay respects to his parents, to properly grieve. The funeral would be soon, but those are meant for closure. He hadn't a moment to himself since he learned of his parents' deaths. He stood outside of the bank when the tears finally poured over and he broke down.

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><p>"Alfie?" Jackie opened the door to her home and saw her boyfriend. She had heard only a little while ago that his parents had died. He had told her where he was going but she was still worried. "How did it go at the bank?" she hugged him tightly but he didn't even touch her.<p>

Alfred didn't say anything for a few moments, he just looked morbidly down at the ground.

"Ah, well, about that," he glanced away from her. He stared at a portrait for a few moments then glanced down at Jackie. The girl stared up at him in worry. _Dammit, I'm making her worry now…_ He grinned, he knew it was feigned but nonetheless he smiled. "Don't worry about me, Jackie," he laughed, ruffling her hair.

Jackie pouted. "Don't you try and fool me, Alfred F. Jones, I can tell when you're faking!" she snapped, wagging a finger at him. Alfred smiled down at her affectionately.

"I really can't fool you it seems," he sighed. He suddenly remembered the business card. "Oh yeah, this is the weirdest thing, but apparently my GUARDIAN, as if I really need one, is some dude my mom knew. I've never even met him, his name's Arthur Kirkland, isn't that weird!" laughed Alfred, pulling out the card. They walked down the hall toward Jackie's bedroom. She sat on her bed with a confused look on her face.

"That is strange," mumbled Jackie, taking the card. "There's a phone number on here, why don't we give him a call?" she offered.

Alfred gave a squeamish grin at her. "I've been too scared to," he mumbled. "I just don't know if we should," he looked down at his hands.

"Don't be a pussy, Alfred," Jackie rolled her eyes and grabbed her phone and dialed the number. The phone rang four times with no answer.

"He's not there, Jackie," grumbled Alfred.

"H-Hallo?" the accent was distinctly British.

_He's British! _thought Alfred in shock. "U-uh, hi," he stammered.

"Do you know what fucking time it is?" grumbled the voice.

"It's only like, 11:00pm," mumbled Alfred, his face contorting in confusion.

"No you prat, it's bloody 4:00am! What the hell do you want?" snapped the voice.

"Oh, well, hi, my name is Alfred Jones. My mother was Martha Jones?" Alfred hoped that would jog the Brit's memory a bit. There was silence on the other end. "Hello? Mr. Kirkland?" asked Alfred.

"Is she really dead?" the man's voce was softer now, as if in pain.

"Y-yeah, she is," Alfred wished that Jackie wasn't in the room, seeing him look sad.

"So what are you calling me for again?" grumbled Arthur, he sounded half-asleep.

"U-um, well in my mother's will, you were named my guardian," said Alfred, his eyes wide. Arthur was silent on the line again.

"Hey listen, I'm sixteen you know, so I don't need to be taken care of!" countered Alfred after the silence. "I mean if you're not already coming then don't!" he said, anger rising a bit in his tone.

"Settle down," Arthur's voice sounded irritated. "I'm sure you can take care of yourself, because you're a big boy and all, I don't need that kind of talk," sighed Arthur.

"So what then?" Alfred bit his lip.

"Then if you can care for yourself, go and do it, leave me out of it," Arthur's voice was hard as he disconnected the call. Alfred stared at the phone in shock. _That was it? He wasn't even going to care! _he thought in bewilderment. He pressed redial with an angry finger.

"Al? You okay?" Jackie hadn't heard the conversation so she looked confused.

"That idiot, who the hell does he think he is," grumbled Alfred, putting the phone to his ear. The phone rang four times, then a fifth, and finally a sixth before it went to voicemail.

"DAMMIT! I know he's there!" Alfred dialed it again.

This happened three times before Arthur finally picked up.

"I KNOW IT'S YOU, YOU BLOODY WANKER, NOW WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT!" he sounded pissed off.

"Just who the fuck do you think you are! My mother named you, and only you in her will, to take care of me! And you won't even give a damn about it!" shouted Alfred.

"You're the one that said you could take care of your damn self!" retorted Arthur.

"I thought that the bank contacted you, that you'd be coming here!" cried Alfred.

"They did, but I didn't say yes! I told them to go fuck themselves, like I'd babysit some spoiled brat!" shouted Arthur, the Brit was obviously upset now.

"You're so selfish! And I'm not spoiled! I had to relinquish all of my belongings to the fucking bank! I've got nothing!" Alfred glared at the wall, his expression serious. "And then they tell me that my guardian is some fucking Englishman? What kind of bullshit is that?" he added, his tone lowering dangerously.

"I'm not flying halfway around the world to pick up some bloody prat like you," retorted Arthur.

"Why my mother even thought about trusting an asshole like you is beyond my comprehension," sighed Alfred maliciously. Arthur was silent again. "I don't even know who the hell you are! Why am I suddenly supposed to come live with someone I've never even met! I've never even heard of you!" Alfred couldn't stop his voice from wavering as tears began to roll down his face. Jackie took his hand and squeezed it in sympathy. "I don't know how the hell you knew my mom, but if you were friends with her at all you'd help her only son out, sorry for bothering you, you snooty son of a bitch," and Alfred closed the phone, burying his face in his hands. This was all too much for him.

Suddenly, the phone began to ring. "E-eh?" Alfred wiped his eyes and answered it tentatively.

"H-Hello?" he stammered, his eyes wide and confused.

"I've got to take a plane so I'll be there sometime at mid-day tomorrow. Until then," Arthur disconnected before Alfred could answer.

"Who was that, Alfred?" Jackie looked confused, she tightly held onto his hand.

"It was Arthur, he said he'll be here tomorrow," mumbled Alfred, tears twinkling in his eyes. "Why does that make me happy?" he cried, sobbing into his hands. Jackie looked confused on what to do, then she patted his head, deciding on saying nothing.

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><p>Alfred was beginning to get impatient. He waited at the airport for Arthur but the plane seemed to be arriving late. <em>What the fuck does the guy even look like? <em>Thought Alfred in annoyance. He sat down and waited impatiently, tapping his foot.

"Flight 117 from London, now arriving," said a voice on the intercom. Alfred found himself blushing. _This is it! _He thought with apprehension.

The passengers came into the lobby and Alfred looked around, wondering if he'd be able to spot anyone that looked like an Arthur. With no luck, he sat down. _Maybe he didn't come…_

The people in the lobby had dwindled down to only a few remainders. Alfred stood up and gave one last look around. _I guess he didn't come, _he thought with sadness. "Good riddance you fucking British bastar-" he stopped mid-sentence as he turned to see a man that was standing right behind him, hand stretched out, as if ready to tap him on the shoulder.

"d…" finished Alfred, his eyes wide.

"And you must be Alfred," sighed Arthur, lowering his gaze in annoyance.

"W-who are you?" Alfred had momentarily forgotten why he was there.

"Well apparently I'm a fucking British bastard and I should just leave," grumbled the man, rolling his eyes in chagrin. Alfred surveyed the man, his appearance was nothing like he had expected. Arthur was shorter than him by a few inches, he was petite and thin, almost having a feministic body type. He had messy, sandy blond hair and green eyes that glowed like emeralds. Said green eyes were glaring at Alfred as the boy stared at him. He was much younger than Alfred expected. But there was something unique about him. Alfred continued to gaze at him, trying to figure out what it was.

"Ah!" he pounded his fist into his hand with a sudden burst of enlightenment.

"What is it?" Arthur glanced over at him, obviously already annoyed with Alfred's behavior.

Alfred smiled stupendously at Arthur. "Damn, you've got some big-ass eyebrows there!"


	2. Conversation

**Author's Note: Oh my freaking god. I'm so sorry for not updating sooner. I published the first chapter just days before I got back into school and was swamped for the first few weeks. Then I got sick and felt like dying for a few days and now I finally have a bit of free time to write! However, there comes my old friend Writer's Block and I could barely squeeze by with this chapter. It's definitely not my best work. Not my worst. But far from the best. I will try to make updates every one to two weeks depending on the chapter but I won't make promises because I tend to break them. I'll try to be more regular I swear! Haha. So anyways, here's the second chapter to Give and Take...**

**P.S. Sorry about some of the comments that Alfred says about British people... PM me if you're at all offended, I don't mean it like that... ^_^"**

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><p>Arthur was silent as he stared at Alfred with an irritated glower, his teeth clenched in a snarl.<p>

"What did you say?" his voice was low and cold, as if he was stabbing Alfred with his very gaze. Alfred was perceptive enough to know that he had hit a sore spot in the man's self esteem.

"A-ah..." he wasn't sure what to say to the man. Arthur shook his head.

"Kill me now..." he muttered under his breath. "Obviously this isn't going to work out so if you don't mind I'm going to go get my ticket home. Thank you for wasting my time with your bloody nonsense," he pushed past Alfred and began to walk away.

"Uwaah, waiiit," moaned Alfred, grabbing onto Arthur's sleeve. "S-sorry, I didn't mean that. It was just an observation," he sighed, lowering his head in shame. Arthur turned halfway around and raised his eyebrow in skepticism. He narrowed his green eyes and turned the rest of the way in order to look Alfred directly into the eyes.

"That's what everyone says," he shook his head then looked down at Alfred's hands on his sleeve. Arthur pouted and his eyes turned to irritated slits as he tore his hand away and glared at him, crossing his arms with an uncomfortable look on his face.

"S-so, now what?" mumbled Alfred, his blue eyes bore into Arthur's intensely despite his tentative voice. Arthur furrowed his eyebrows.

"Didn't you have anything in mind?" he grumbled, "or did you expect me to do everything for you?" he smirked at Alfred. Of course Arthur wouldn't say the real reason why he turned the question back on the teenager, simply because he had no bloody idea what he was doing. However, Alfred didn't need to know that.

Alfred felt his face redden considerably.

"That's not it," he pouted, "I just hadnt thought that far yet!"

Arthur sighed. "Honestly to think were you this spoiled..." he grumbled, waving a nonchalant hand in the air.

"Hey! I'm not spoiled! It's not like I have extensive experience with these kinds of things. What would be a normal thing to do?" he mumbled the last few words, innocence clouding his sapphire eyes in childish worry.

Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose in indignation. "You're hopeless."

Alfred grimaced at Arthur and looked away from him. He puffed out his bottom lip and glanced over at him, wondering if he noticed. The Brit wasn't really looking at him and Alfred narrowed his eyes in response and then started to walk sulkily away. "Weeeell, if you're not going to help me then you can just leave me. After all I am the son of Martha Jones. I should be able to... You know... Get by," he sighed dramatically and glanced furtively at the man with a coy smirk on his face. Arthur looked up at the mention of Alfred's mother.

"Wait..." he muttered, putting a hand on Alfred's shoulder. "Let's just figure this out as it goes okay? I'm already here. I'm not going to leave," he looked like he didn't want to say it but he did nonetheless.

Alfred didn't expect that trick to work in the slightest. He grinned and was overcome with the urge to hug the man. Arthur's eyes widened at the sudden embrace and his entire body stiffened. Alfred's head rested on Arthur's shoulder and Arthur could feel the gentle tickle of his breath on the back of his neck. He wanted to shiver at the strange feeling but he held back the urge with brute force of thought. "I have to say, even though you may be a bit of a jerk, it is at least nice to have someone to be with," Alfred closed his eyes, overcome with the feeling of touching someone. He knew it wasn't like touching his parents, feeling their warm embrace, but it was as close as he could get.

Arthur looked a bit irked from the 'jerk' comment but he didn't protest in Alfred hugging him. He stood awkwardly waiting for the boy to release him, his eyes narrowing in half-confusion, half-annoyance.

"Thank you for coming," Alfred smiled and looked Arthur directly in the eyes, his smile widening into a grin as he saw the man's bemused look on his face.

"It's nothing," mumbled Arthur, a dazed look on his face.

"So!" Alfred looked like his spirits were high. "What should we do first, oh master guardian?" he bowed lowly and playfully, his blonde hair flopping over in front of his eyes.

Arthur grimaced at the thought of spending any time with this boy. "I guess we should stop by the bank and get a settlement on this whole guardian thing anyways," he sighed, scratching the back of his head with unease. However much he wanted it to not be true, he was going to have to take responsibility. It still felt unreal, as if it were a dream; Arthur knew though, that the moment he signed those papers, it would all be much too real.

Alfred's smile dropped a bit at the mention of the bank. "W-we have to go to the bank?" he stammered, his eyes became duller and less sparkly. "I don't… really like the bank," he mumbled.

"Well, there's nothing you can do about that because you have to come with me," explained Arthur, putting his hand on his hip and leveling Alfred a stare.

"Got it," Alfred exhaled quite a bit with discontent.

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><p>"Ahem," it was the same, hard-eyed man that Alfred had met before at the bank. Alfred couldn't help but glower at the man who he blamed for ruining his life. He had to blame someone, and this man just happened to be that scapegoat.<p>

"It seems," the hard-eyed man looked up with his icy stare. "That you reconsidered, Mr. Kirkland, about becoming this boy's guardian," he observed, a smirk playing on his thin lips.

"When did I say I wasn't going to?" grumbled Arthur, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest with a level glower at the man. He realized why Alfred didn't like the bank now.

"I believe that you made it quite clear, ah where is that note… Aha, Mr. Kirkland, your exact words upon being requested were: 'I don't give a damn, you bloody wankers. I'm not going to babysit some little American shitfuck just because his parents died. Go fuck yourselves and leave me alone,'" the man looked up from the paper and raised a perfectly styled black eyebrow in dubious inquisitiveness. "To me that doesn't quite sound like a person ready to come take care of a child," his voice was cold as he surveyed the Brit critically.

"Hey! Don't call me a child! I'm sixteen!" shouted Alfred, jumping up out of his seat.

"Legally, you are still a child until you're eighteen, Mr. Jones," explained the man, brushing back his gelled hair with a bony hand. "Now, I can presume that Mr. Kirkland isn't going to leave anytime soon. So, if you would sign these papers of custody, then we can all be on our merry way," a smile crept up on the man's face as he pushed the papers forward, a task he rather enjoyed doing. His sadistic grin only widened when he saw Arthur hesitate in taking it.

Arthur skimmed over the document, his eyes narrowing with each sentence. "This says I have to take care of this prat until he's eighteen," Arthur raised an eyebrow in irritation. "Is this for real?" he grumbled.

"Indeed, surely you would have known that when you flew all the way over here from England, or did you just want to drop by and say hello?" the man's smile widened even more, the corners of his mouth twitching up in a smirk.

"I didn't think I'd have to bloody take care of him for two years. I can barely stand him for two minutes," complained Arthur, glancing at Alfred with a disapproving scowl.

Alfred stared at Arthur in shock. He was slightly hurt from the man's words and felt a hot feeling rush through his body. He couldn't tell if he was angry or just upset but it made him want to punch Arthur's eyebrows clear off of his forehead. Alfred narrowed his eyes and turned away from Arthur, the upset feeling overwhelming him.

Arthur read through the rest of the document, his eyes narrowed slightly and he sighed, drawing out the breath longer than needed.

That did it. "Fuck it then!" shouted Alfred, he balled his hands into fists and stood up with anger. "If I'm really that much of a hassle then you can just go back to your fucking land of scones! Screw you! I can fucking take care of myself, I don't mean to INCONVENIENCE you or anything," he shouted, his voice cracked halfway through and hot tears welled up in his eyes. He was upset but he didn't know why. He didn't know this man, there was nothing connecting them. So why did he feel so hurt?

Arthur stared at Alfred in surprise. He laid the fancy black and gold pen down and turned in his seat to look at Alfred, a stupefied, contemptuous look cementing itself into his features. Saying nothing, he held the packet of documents up for Alfred to see, feeling that doing so was the only way to get his point across, having no words to express his discontent.

Alfred's eyes widened when he saw the scrawl of Arthur's signature across the line.

"Are we done here?" Arthur turned back to the man with cold eyes.

"Yes we are," the man took the documents in his hands and smiled at Arthur and Alfred. "It was a pleasure doing business with you," he said in an overly kind tone.

Arthur took Alfred's hand and led him out of the office. He was seriously steamed. He didn't like the man with the cold eyes, he felt like he had been played; toyed with, even. Just before he closed the door to the banker's office, the feeling overwhelmed him and with an angry hand he flipped off the man, smirking as he saw the banker's surprised face at his rude gesture. He deserved it too, the sadistic bastard.

Alfred still refused to speak after they left the bank. It was partially due to shock that Arthur was now his legal guardian and partially because he was upset.

"You need to learn how to control your emotions, Alfred," explained Arthur, glancing back at the boy.

Alfred averted his gaze and narrowed his eyes in contempt.

"You shouldn't have signed that, if you find me as that much of an annoyance. Besides, you have no right to lecture me yet. You may be my guardian legally but that doesn't mean that I need to listen to you," he mumbled sulkily, shoving his hands deep into his pockets.

"Well it's a bit too late for that isn't it," sighed Arthur, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah but it's for two years! You said-" Alfred cut himself off, realizing it was a stupid thing to say.

"I know what I said, but I'm not a man that goes back on my word. I said I'd take care of you. No matter how much of a hassle it's going to be. I owe that to your mother," sighed Arthur, a look of loneliness shrouded his emerald colored eyes for a split second.

Alfred blinked in surprise then he grinned and hugged Arthur in a big bear-hug. "I knew you were a cool guy!" he laughed and his entire body shook.

Arthur pushed himself away from Alfred and looked skeptically up at the boy. "Indeed," he mumbled. They began to walk down the sidewalk slowly. "Is that going to be a regular thing?" inquired Arthur, glancing up at the teenager, curiousness getting the better of him.

Alfred looked confused. "Is what going to be a regular thing?"

"That... hugging thing," mumbled Arthur, he looked embarrassed to say the words.

Alfred grinned. "Do you want it to be?" he inquired jokingly.

Arthur raised an eyebrow then shook his head in exasperation and decided not to comment.

"So! What do we do now? Dad?" Alfred grinned at Arthur and laughed when the Brit jumped in surprise.

Arthur turned around and stared at the American, his eyes as big as dinner plates, slight fear clouding his gaze. "That's not funny, Alfred. Don't ever call me that again, I mean it," he said seriously.

Alfred's smile faded and he gazed at Arthur with confused eyes. "Hey, I was just kidding, Arthur, it was a joke," he mumbled sourly.

Arthur shook his head solemnly. "I get it, I know that that was a joke; but it was a joke in poor taste nonetheless," he sighed. "Well, at the moment I'm still a citizen of England. I won't even bother asking you to consider coming back with me so I don't have to sell my apartment-,"

"No way in hell am I going to that damn smelly fish-hole you call a country!" shouted Alfred, cutting Arthur off, his hands balled into fist.

Arthur smirked at the insult. "Which is why I'm not considering it to begin with, bloody prat," he trailed off into an aside and mumbled the last two words of his sentence.

"I'm hungry," Alfred put his hands behind his head and looked down at the Brit expectantly.

"Then get yourself some food, I'm not going to baby you, you damn berk," he grumbled.

Alfred groaned with annoyance. "Oh come on, this is when we get to know each other," he grumbled, he didn't bother asking what a berk was; Arthur was just likely calling him an idiot.

"I don't want to get to know you," Arthur mumbled under his breath, beginning to walk ahead. Alfred stumbled after him, unaccustomed to the Brit's fast pace.

"I can show ya around the city, if you like," suggested Alfred, finally matching strides with Arthur. He pouted with the man rolled his eyes at him.

"Don't you have school or something?" he grumbled, looking irritated. Arthur wasn't used to having a teenager around and it was frankly wearing him out.

"I don't get what the big deal is, why don't you want to spend any sort of time with me, after all, we're going to be together for the next two years," sighed Alfred, he balanced himself on the curb and walked in a straight line, putting one foot carefully over the other and holding his hands out for balance.

"Exactly, we have another two years to get through this so why do this now?" said Arthur, glancing over at the teenager with a disapproving grimace.

Alfred stopped walking and swung back and forth from his arms on a street light, looking curiously at Arthur. "You need to get that checked," he said vaguely, paying attention to everything but the Brit's face and instead focusing on the ever-expanding blue sky, his lips curled slightly up in a smile.

Arthur looked bemusedly at Alfred and turned around. He shoved his hands into his jean pockets and studied the American's behavior with minimal interest. "What do I need to get checked out?" he asked, still thoroughly confused.

"It must be awfully painful," Alfred composed his face, he couldn't smile or it would ruin it. He had to appear as serious as possible.

"I'm in no pain," muttered Arthur, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"Surely, you must be. I've heard that if it's up there long enough it turns you into a stiff prude," Alfred's mouth twitched, desperately wanting to grin.

"If _what's _up _where _long enough?" Arthur was starting to get annoyed.

"Why, that stick up your ass of course," Alfred finally burst into hilarious fits of laughter, his eyes dancing.

Arthur coughed, looking sheepishly in the other direction. He had chosen not to comment but that was proving hard to live by.

"Seriously, Arthur, lighten up, man," grinned Alfred, walking over and patting Arthur firmly on the back. The Brit stared at him dubiously, then shook his head in contempt. "You need a sense of humor," added Alfred, slouching at the lack of reaction from the man.

"Let's stop by a café and get something to eat," suggested Arthur, completely ignoring Alfred's previous comment.

"Sweet! I'm starving!" Alfred gave Arthur a winning smile. Said grin only widened when it noticed the tiniest hint of a returning smile on Arthur's face.

They stopped in the first café they saw, a quaint, secluded bistro nestled at the end of a shopping district. They walked through the mahogany entrance and were greeted by a slim waitress that led them to one of the many open tables. It was already three hours past the normal mid-day rush and only a few stragglers remained. Alfred made himself comfortable on the cushioned side of the table while Arthur grudgingly took the seat adjacent to it, not comfortable with sitting in a stiff chair but knowing better not to comment.

"So," Alfred searched for a topic to ask the Brit about. However much he wracked his brains though, he was unable to think of anything.

Seeing Alfred struggle to find words, Arthur considered beginning the conversation but quickly decided against it. The less he knew about the idiot the better. He leaned against his hand and opened a book he was dying to read.

"You're going to _read?_" exclaimed Alfred, shocked at the man's behavior and scowling.

"Oh, go ahead, I'm listening," mumbled Arthur after a moment's hesitation, after all, you can't stop in the middle of a sentence.

"You should look someone in the eyes when you're talking to them, it's called conversation, dumbass," retorted Alfred, his eyes narrowing in irritated suspicion.

Arthur's eyes snapped up at the insult and he glowered at the boy. "Conversing has nothing to do with the eyes, it has to do with the mouth and forming words that represent ideas formulated by the speaker, no eye-contact necessary," he said matter-of-factly, as if reading from a dictionary.

"I didn't mean for you to take it literal," snapped Alfred, exasperatedly putting a hand over his forehead to calm himself down and fixating on the polished table.

"Then you shouldn't have used a word that didn't support your argument," sighed Arthur. He looked up from his book and shook his head in mock solemnity. "Honestly, do they teach you nothing in your American schools, you don't even know how to make a proper argument or talk to someone without losing your temper. Are you so used to being right all the time that you lash out at anyone who says you're wrong?" he questioned honestly, his prejudice and stereotypical thoughts overwhelming his brain. He had a pissed expression on his face, likely due to the fact that he had read the same sentence four times already.

"You're a fucking assho-" Alfred cut off when he noticed that the waitress had been standing there, patiently waiting for them to finish their discussion.

Arthur glanced momentarily at the waitress and went back to his book. "I'll have the tea, Earl Grey, if you have it, only leave the teabag in for two minutes. I don't want it too strong, on second thought, just bring me a cup of hot water and the teabag; I'll do it myself," he said briskly, waving his previous thought off with a twirl of his hand.

The waitress looked genuinely insulted as she angrily scribbled down his order of hot water and a teabag.

Alfred gaped at Arthur. "You can't be that rude to a working person! You make it sound like you expect them to get it wrong!" he cried in angry shock.

"The customer's always right, so I've heard. I know how I like my tea," countered Arthur, not looking up from his book.

"And what'll you have, sir?" the waitress smiled sweetly at Alfred, regarding him as a hero who stood up against evil British bastards that insulted her. She practically glowed when he smiled at her. Alfred just seemed to have that kind of personality that people instantly were attracted to.

"I'll have the special," said Alfred, cheerily, shooting an annoyed look at Arthur. "Excuse my… friend. He's British after all," he chuckled, grinning at Arthur.

"Cheeky git," grumbled Arthur.

* * *

><p><strong>If you have ANY questions at all feel free to ask! I hope this chapter wasn't too boring, the beginning of this story's going to be kind of slow so bear with me... Please R&amp;R! I know you want to! Do it. Now. XD XD XD<strong>


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